A New Deadly Record.

Chronogical Blog Entries:

Date: Thu, 05 Oct 2017 20:44:16 +1100

Once again there has been a mass shooting in the USA and once more the
same inane drivel flows out of the mouths of pro-gun advocates. Our thoughts
and prayers ... Now is not the time ... Too soon ... Guns don't kill people
... People kill people ... etc, etc. And yet this time the sheer scale of the
attack should at least give pause for thought?

Since this tragic event there have been many articles about the shooting,
the shooter and gun laws. Several very good articles in the NYT. However
opinion will be widely divided about these articles. The shooter, Stephen
Paddock, appears to have prepared for the attack with meticulous attention to
detail. There has been speculation that he may have intended to continue his
rampage had he managed to escape the hotel (see references to traces of
ammonium nitrate found in his vehicle), but the evidence is circumstantial.
There has been speculation that his gambling losses tipped him over ... But
there is no real compelling evidence to support that ... He had paid all of
his debts and even though they were substantial, seems to have been able to
afford them.

Whatever his motives were, Stephen Paddock has taken them with him to the
grave.

The bodies were barely cold before the usual mealy-mouthed utterances from
the pro-gun lobby, and the extraordinary claims from conspiracy theorists.

This is a new world record for American mass shootings. The one thing that
Americans should be able to conclude from this new and inauspicious milestone
is that now is indeed the time to consider reigning in the Firearms
Manufacturing Industry, which is so clearly out of control. Your blogger
remains pessimistic about this occurring any time soon.